The Barcelona Prosecutor's Office has supported the admission of a complaint for crimes against humanity and torture suffered by a trade unionist during his detention in the 1970s by police at the Via Laietana Headquarters in Barcelona.
According to the public ministry, the new Democratic Memory Law imposes on the State, from the field of justice, the duty to investigate violations of International Human Rights Law and International Humanitarian Law that occurred during the civil war and the Franco dictatorship.
With this new regulatory framework and the analysis of national and international jurisprudence and international Treaties and Conventions, the Prosecutor's Office concludes that the complaint should not be inadmissible outright, but that it is necessary to carry out an investigation of the facts and its context before taking a decision on the continuation of the procedure.
The Public Prosecutor's Office recalls in its report the obligation to guarantee not only the right to justice, but also the right to truth and reparation for victims, since they are "articulating principles of International Human Rights Law and International Law." Humanitarian, as well as the Democratic Memory Law itself.”
After the approval of the law in October of last year, Omnium Cultural, Irídia and various memorial entities filed the first lawsuit for Francoist crimes.
The complaint was filed against six police officers for the torture suffered by trade unionist Carles Vallejo, who was arrested on two occasions and prosecuted on up to three occasions in relation to his political and union activity.
